Mine also came with Hankook Kinergy GT. I also heard they were mediocre. To be fair I'm not a discerning judge of tires. I guess they seem fine to me, but I'll probably replace them with something higher end when they wear out. And whatever new tires I get will seem way better than the worn out ones, so how do you judge, really?

He was BSing you on the special hybrid tires. I think he's about 15 years behind the times. They do make special energy efficient tires but Honda put plain old regular tires on it.

 

Same situation, my 2020 EX-L came with Bridgestone Ecopia's, not a wonderful tire in either rain or snow according to Tire Rack ratings. Overall kinda "meh". Replaced them with Michelin Crossclimate II's, very pleased so far, fairly quiet, comfortable ride, handling & steering response is really excellent and they're like suction cups in the rain. Haven't driven them in snow yet, but they're very well rated. The concept that hybrid cars need "special" tires is literally BS, although I'm sure the factory tires are selected with low rolling resistance above all to maximize mileage. When my Michelins were first installed, my mileage dropped a bit as the Crossclimate's are very "grippy", after about 1000 miles the mpg was back where it should be. Ask the dealer where it says "Hybrid Only" on any tire. A good set of tires is a cheap life insurance policy.

 

As far as special tires are concerned. Nearly all hybrids (All I have ever looked into), and even some traditional ICE cars that want to push high mileage numbers come with tires that are listed as 'low rolling resistance' as mentioned above.

To achieve this low rolling resistance, a tire must be hard in that is does not deform as much from round with the vehicles weight causing a flat spot at the bottom (As the tire rotates, this flat spot moves along the treat surface of the tire, it requires energy to deform the side wall in this way, and that energy costs you mileage). This flat spot on a tire is what gives you a contact patch, which is where you get traction. Combining the two, most low rolling resistance tires give poor traction.

This can be addressed to a tread rubber that is softer and thus 'grips better', but a softer rubber is worn away quicker, which results in a poor tread life.

Tire companies can make tires that would last a million miles, but they would have a tread surface like a billiard ball, and drive like it too. On the other hand, they can build a tire so soft and with some much grip it would give you F1 levers of traction, but the softest and fastest F1 tires are used up in some cases in as little as 10 miles.

For what is is worth, in my experience, the OEM tires that come on vehicles are crap, across the board. But when the manufacturer tells that tire company I want to build 100K cars, so I need 400K tires, and I want to pay you as little as possible, well you get a cheaply built tire.

 

Not impressed with the Hankooks, but I didn't expect premium tires.
I was surprised they were Korean made, as Hankook has a plant in Ohio.
I was amused that less than a week after I bought the car an offer arrived from my dealer offering a discount on Michelins.

 

The 'aftermarket' Hankook 727s we bought for our '06 seemed to last forever. (Same long-wearing experience with a friend who drove an '07) They were better than the Yokohama tires we tried prior.

was amused that less than a week after I bought the car an offer arrived from my dealer offering a discount on Michelins.

LOL, did you take them up on it?

Michelin owns Bridgestone, and have had issues with two sets of those.(not on the V). A common gripe on many forums are that original-fitment tires are less than great...

 

I had Michelin Defenders put on. The ride is 100 times smoother then those junk Bridgestone and they handle great in snow. Surprisingly the dealers supplier was cheaper then tire rack.

 

Maybe because it;s a small suv, but it seems like the CRV is kinda bumpy and rides harder.
Want to blame the Hankook tires, 99% sure it would handles bumps better with Michelins.
Maybe unfair since comparing to highlander....
Funny how I already look forward to replacing the tires and car is brand new.

 

Did you road test the vehicle before buying? How long was your road test? Did it include high speed driving?